January 2002

Sally Johnson
(aka dusty_d)

Hi!

First, let me say it is quite an honor (not to mention shock!) to be named as DOTM for January 2002. Caught me quite off guard!

Ok, now to the formalities. I'm Sally Johnson, known to many as 'Dusty D'. Recently I became Chapter Liaison/President of the SoCal DOC - as if being Secretary wasn't enough work! I live with my husband, Dave (aka 'Dusty D Dinger'), 7 dogs and 8 cats on an avocado farm in Oxnard, CA. I named my 'D' (a CPR '98 5.2L) 'Dusty' because he is almost never clean, despite considerable quantities of my disposable income going to Meguiars and the local car wash. I think it has something to do with our having a dirt barnyard and gravel driveway; or maybe it's because of the large amount of off-roading we do...

I originally bought the 'D' because I perform in Renaissance Faires all over CA and NV and I was slowly but surely killing my husband's aging Mazda PU. Now, while you can cram an amazing amount of stuff in a Neon, it's not real handy for pulling a ton or so of trailer. I now go merrily off to faire, crammed to the rafters with a stuffed cargo carrier on the roof and towing a trailer!

I joined the DOC in December of 1998, attending my first SoCal get-together in March of 1999 and it has been a great three years! The number of fast friendships we have made which began solely because of the vehicle we drive still amazes me!

Driving down a bumpy dirt road or across a grassy field to get to a faire is one thing - and I wasn't sure I wanted to risk damage to Dusty by REALLY going off-road. After giving it some more thought, I figured what the heck and fell in love with it to the point that I don't do faire much anymore! I'm having much more fun with SoCal! Dave and I have even organized several events, including a weekend campout in the local mountains, which will forever live in DOC memory as the event where Brian Fahrner managed to tip his 'D' on it's side.

We too have sustained damage to the 'D'. That's how Dave came to be called 'Dinger' - he dings accessories like brush guards and side rails and scratches the paint against various and assorted trees. I, however, knock things OFF the 'D', which is why I let Dave drive off-road most of the time - his damage is easier to fix!

I've gotten many goodies for 'Dusty' over the years, including a QuickD intake, Fastman throttle body, Flowmaster 70 muffler, tube side rails, (had a Mopar brush guard, but knocked it off at DRMR 2001). I upgraded to a Pioneer DEH-P77H CD receiver with matching 12 CD changer. Most recently I replaced the stock grille with StreetScene inserts painted gold to match the emblem kit I got for a song on E-bay. Dave made a custom install for my CB, which is an all-in-the-handset Cobra.

I've had so much fun as a member of this club. Some of the highlights include DRAGA, DRMR (just ask Colorado Dave 'Elvis Moo-D' Breyfogle!), Toys for Tots (despite the three months of work involved), and every SoCal event!

Oh, by the way - in case you're wondering about the picture, it was taken on the first day of DRAGA. D-Rat was a gift from Heather 'Pinky' Middleton to commemorate Dusty's three week recovery from damage done by a rat (a definite drawback to farm life) but that's a 'tail' for another D-Zine. At any rate, he's my official mascot, living permanently on the back seat armrest, and has made it to every SoCal event, including Toys for Tots, where he sported a snappy set of candy cane antlers. He almost got me shot by base security late in September because he startled a security guard!

Sally Johnson

Editor's Note: Sally was nominated as Durangoer Of The Month in recognition of her "SoCal DOC Toys for Tots - 2001" article for the 1st Qtr 2002 D-Zine.

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